


Power Assessment

by vulcanhighblood



Category: Super Powereds - Drew Hayes, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: (or in this case superpowers), A Friendship Forged From Muscle, Alternate Universe - Pro Heroes (My Hero Academia), Bonding Over Shared Trauma, Crossover, Gen, Midoriya Izuku Needs A Hug, Midoriya Izuku is a Nerd, Midoriya Izuku is a Ray of Sunshine, Multi, Nick Campbell Is A Good Friend, Pro Hero Bakugou Katsuki, Pro Hero Midoriya Izuku, Pro Hero Todoroki Shouto, Pro Hero Uraraka Ochako, Quirks (My Hero Academia), Self-Indulgent, Sparring, Superpowers, Training, Vince Reynolds Needs A Hug, Vince Reynolds is a Ray of Sunshine, Watch These Two Sunshine Bois Battle For A Good Cause and Entertainment, international cooperation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:47:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27101440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vulcanhighblood/pseuds/vulcanhighblood
Summary: It's all hands on deck when Japan holds an international Pro Hero Summit with the United States of America. Fifty heroes from each country will come together for an international brawl, with the top ten Japanese Pro Heroes facing ten US heroes in a televised Power Assessment. There's just one catch - three of the heroes in the US delegation were part of a highly experimental procedure to alter their quirks, and Deku's about to face the most powerful test subject one-on-one.
Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki & Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto, Nick Campbell & Vince Reynolds, Nick Campbell/Alice Adair (mention)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	Power Assessment

**Author's Note:**

> Look, while I am of the opinion that all fanfic is basically self-indulgent writing, this fic REALLY reaches my personal peak of self-indulgent writing. Bear with me as I combine two of my favorite superhero universes. I hope you enjoy the chaos.  
> It's worth noting that this fic contains a few spoilers for My Hero Academia and a LOT of spoilers all the way through Year 4 of Super Powereds (I tried not to include any of the really crucial details, though). 
> 
> (If you'd like to know a bit more about worldbuilding before diving in, please see the note at the end)

“Oi, Deku!” came a shout from down the hall. 

Izuku looked up, spotting the familiar scowl of Kacchan. “Kacchan!” he called back excitedly, “they picked you, too?”

“I didn’t realize being in the top ten meant I’d be on the hook for this sort of bullshit,” Kacchan grumbled as he came up beside Izuku. “It’s almost enough for me to give it up.”

That was a lie and they both knew it, but Izuku nodded sympathetically. “This shouldn’t be too bad, though,” he said. “I heard that we don’t have to worry about the diplomacy side of things, we’re just here to represent our country in the Power Assessment portion of the Pro Hero Summit with the United States.”

“What’s the fuckin’ deal with that anyway?” Kacchan groused. “Some sort of new fancy procedure they developed? And it’s not even a government resource, so why the hell is the government getting involved?”

“From what I understood,” Todoroki said, walking up and startling Izuku, since he had apparently not been paying enough attention to his surroundings, “the issue was something about how Japan categorizes quirks. Apparently they have a different delineation for quirks in America, and so the procedure needs to be thoroughly vetted before it’s going to be allowed in Japan.”

“To be perfectly honest,” Izuku said, “I wasn’t entirely sure I understood what the procedure even is. Something about controlling quirks? It sounds scary.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Todoroki replied, quirking an eyebrow in Izuku’s direction. “Shall we?” he asked, indicating the hall.

“Wait up, guys!” came a shout from down the hall. A moment later, Uraraka jogged up, glancing between the three of them and grinning. “I’m glad I caught up with you guys. I heard there’s about fifty of us Pro Heroes that are going to be participating in the official Power Assessment today, and I was worried I wouldn’t even get to see you.”

“What the hell?” Kacchan snapped, “My manager told me it’s because I’m in the top ten!”

“Only the top ten heroes’ power assessments are going to be  _ televised,” _ Todoroki said, “didn’t you read the paperwork before you signed it?”

“I read that I had the chance to fight one of the top heroes in the United States and signed immediately,” Kacchan replied without an ounce of shame in the admission. “That’s all I fuckin’ cared about.”

“Then why are you complaining about there being more heroes here for the power assessment?” Uraraka asked, genuinely confused.

“Because he just needs something to bitch about,” Todoroki replied, rolling his eyes. “Come on, we don’t want to be late,” he urged, starting down the hall again.

* * *

“I don’t know about this,” Vince said, tugging at his mask and grimacing into the mirror. “What if they get mad when they find out about… you know?”

Camille, clad in her own costume, smiled fondly and patted Vince’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. “It’s not exactly a secret,” she reminded him. “Anyone who’s done their research knows you’re one of the former powereds who became a Hero.”

“Besides,” Alice added breezily from her seat on the couch, “would it really change anything if they were mad?” She tossed her long, blonde hair over one shoulder. “I mean, we’ve weathered the storms of negative public opinion before.”

“I still don’t like it,” Vince muttered, tugging on his mask once more for good measure. He’d developed the costume with a mask-and-hood design that hid his distinctive silver hair, but wearing it still felt oppressive, especially when he was nervous. And being in a foreign country where he was expected to face one of their top heroes in single combat was  _ definitely _ a high-stress situation. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “But I guess it’s for the best, right?” he tossed a look over his shoulder to Alice, who hummed thoughtfully, leaning back against her boyfriend, Nick.

Unlike the other people in the room, Nick was neither nervous, nor was he in costume. This was because, unlike the rest of the people in the room, Nick was not a hero. He was a politician. A minor one, for now, but he said it never hurt to take advantage of opportunities to make friends in high places. Since Shelby’s House (a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping powereds in crisis) was coordinating with the United States Department of Variant Human Affairs to expedite the acceptance of the treatment for Powereds to become Supers in the land of the rising sun, Nick had jumped on the opportunity to tag along, maybe rub a few elbows. He claimed that it never hurt to make friends now, since it might prove useful when he would eventually become President. For most people, this sort of attitude might be seen as  _ overly ambitious. _ But Vince knew Nick well enough to see it as a foregone conclusion. 

“You got that right, Silver,” Nick drawled, glancing over at the nervous man and fighting the urge to smirk. “Remember. You’re doing this to help people, so it doesn’t matter if they wipe the floor with you.”

“They’re not going to wipe the floor with him,” Alice chided, shoving Nick’s shoulder. It was a friendly, amused sort of shove, but still had enough force behind it to nearly topple the sandy-haired man.

“You  _ wound _ me,” Nick declared, dramatically rubbing his shoulder, though the fond grin he tossed her way rather undermined his words.

There was a soft knock on the door, and it slid open a moment later. Chad Taylor, fully clad in his  _ Intra _ costume, stepped in. “Are you all ready?” he asked, somewhat stiffly. He, like Vince, was probably nervous. However, unlike Vince, Chad was able to physically prevent himself from being nervous at a cellular level. That being said, it was usually obvious when he was suppressing his emotions, because he tended to act a bit more awkward than usual. 

“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Vince replied, tugging at his mask one last time before turning to grin at Chad. 

“Good,” Chad said. “Because it’s time for the Power Assessment to begin.”

* * *

Izuku was more than a little surprised to realize that he recognized a lot of the heroes filing in from the United States’ Hero delegation. “Oh!” he said, poking Kacchan’s shoulder, “look! It’s Legacy! And  _ Intra! _ And Adrestia! And-!”

“Are you going to list all fifty Heroes as they walk in?” Kacchan griped, scowling at Izuku. “Because if that’s what you’re doing, fuckin’  _ don’t.” _

“…Ettin is there too,” Izuku added softly. “I heard he works with Titan’s new team.”

Kacchan’s eyes widened slightly. “No shit? I thought Titan retired back when we were kids.”

“He came back about four years ago,” Izuku replied, frowning slightly. “Don’t you remember? It was pretty big news when he joined the  Gentle Hammers.”

“I don’t pay attention to that shit,” Kacchan said dismissively.

“Perhaps you should,” Todoroki said from Izuku’s other side. “Especially since we’re about to be facing one of them in combat.”

Izuku frowned, staring at the array of heroes marching into the room. He wondered who he’d get the chance to fight, and if there were any heroes that he was particularly suited to or any that were likely to be a significant challenge. Heroes in the United States kept the exact details of their quirks and how they worked a secret. Like Pro Heroes, too much information might allow villains to find ways to defeat them more easily. So it was all down to observation. Some Heroes’ quirks were easier to figure out than others, and the longer a Hero had been on the scene, the easier it was to figure out what they could do. “I know about some of them, but a couple of the heroes down there are still pretty mysterious.”

“Oh yeah?” Kacchan leaned forward. “Like who?”

“Well, there’s  _ Slow Burn,” _ Izuku pointed out the woman, who was gazing around the room with interest. “She does explosions, but she can produce them from what seems like anywhere. And sometimes she can take out villains without even producing explosions. It’s a pretty confusing quirk, and there are a few theories out there, but nothing solid.”

Kacchan eyed her with a critical gaze. “Explosions, huh? It might be interesting to fight her.”

“Another head-scratcher is _ Jack-of-All,” _ Izuku continued, pointing to a man in a costume that covered nearly every inch of his body, leaving only the bottom half of his face, his eyes, and his hands exposed. “People are  _ pretty _ sure he’s an emitter-type, but the kind of emissions are all over the place. He can make places dark, light, hot, or cold, he can produce fire and lightning and concussive force… it’s like he can do  _ everything.” _ Izuku shrugged. “I think that’s why he chose the hero name  _ Jack-of-All, _ because he can do basically anything.”

Kacchan looked vaguely impressed. “If he’s stretched so thin, he must not be very strong, then.”

“Oh, no, he’s definitely strong,” Todoroki jumped in, “I’ve actually heard of him. He interned with a team called Modus Operandi, which is more geared towards information-gathering and investigation than combat, but he still managed to make quite a name for himself.”

“Then why haven’t I fuckin’ heard of him?” Kacchan demanded.

“Do you ever read anything besides Japan’s hero ranking?” Todoroki shot back at Kacchan.

“No, because those extras don’t matter,” Kacchan sniped back.

“Which is why you haven’t heard of him,” Izuku said, trying to refocus the attention on the crowd of heroes that had finished filing into the room and were now finding their seats. At the front of the room, an official-looking man in a crisp suit stood up and walked to the podium. “Shh, I think it’s about to start!”

* * *

Vince stared at the man giving the speech and tried to concentrate on the English translation being transmitted to his earpiece. It was in the same ear where he usually kept the communicator from Dispatch, and it didn’t quite fit as well as the Hero earpiece did. He shook his head sharply, refocusing on the (admittedly rather dull) speech. He’d already been informed that he was going to be one of the Heroes who would be going up against one of Japan’s top ten, which was frankly terrifying. Vince was nowhere  _ near _ top ten material, he’d only been a fully licensed Hero for one year post-internship! But all three of the former Powereds were being tapped for this, since the whole point of the exercise was proving to the Japanese public that former Powereds were not only completely in control of their powers, but incredibly powerful individuals who were  _ worth _ rehabilitating.

Honestly, Vince didn’t really like to think about that last part. He didn’t think worthiness should be a deciding factor in who did or didn’t get treatment. But he couldn’t deny the fact that it made sense to prioritize the more powerful members of the powered population. After all, many of those Powereds caused a lot more damage and danger with their out-of-control powers. His own ability had kept him from a stable home, and if it hadn’t been for his adoptive father’s presence, it very easily could have prevented him from having a loving family, too. 

He smiled fondly at the memory of his father. That’s what this was about, really. Making sure that no more Powereds suffered, had to fear for their own loved ones’ safety if their powers were to suddenly go out of control. That’s why he was here, and so long as he remembered that, it didn’t really matter who won or lost the power assessment. He could face Japan’s top ten, and so long as he put on a good showing? It wouldn’t really matter who won.

Beside him, Alice jabbed an elbow between his ribs. “Stand up!” she hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

Vince blinked in surprise, realizing that the man had stopped speaking and was staring at him. He leaped to his feet, glancing around awkwardly. Across the room, in the crowd of fifty Japanese Heroes, another person was also standing. He had curly green hair, big green eyes, and a scattering of freckles across his face. Vince had heard of him, when he’d skimmed the background guide to Japan’s top ten that Nick had cooked up for him. Deku. Hero who had taken out  _ All For One. _ Nemesis of Tomura Shigaraki, one of the most destructive criminal Powereds in known history. Possessed a power that seemed to take multiple unrelated forms, much like Vince’s own ability. 

So he was going to be facing down Deku, Vince thought, a small smile creeping across his face as, from across the room, Deku bowed in his direction. Vince bowed back awkwardly, unable to keep the grin off his face as he did so. This was going to be an  _ interesting _ Power Assessment.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're curious about what the deal is with Quirks and Powers and all that nonsense, it's because I've decided that the Japanese classification system and the US classification system for powers and heroes is different.
> 
> I'm not going to go into great detail about what the differences are, but here are the two most important things to know:  
> In the USA, people with special abilities are treated as "variant humans" and divided into two categories: "Supers", people who have powers and can control them, and "Powereds", people who have powers but cannot control them. People without abilities are called "humans" (as opposed to "variant humans").  
> In Japan, anyone with an ability is called a "Quirk User", whether they have control over their ability or not. People without abilities are called "Quirkless". 
> 
> In the USA, Supers are widely admired (though they sometimes inspire jealousy and hatred for being "special"), Humans are low, and Powereds are the lowest of them all (pitied and despised for the trouble they cause with their out-of-control abilities).  
> In Japan, Quirk Users are widely admired, while Quirkless people are pitied and despised.
> 
> That's really all you need to know for this fic to make sense, I think.


End file.
